Symbols and Games: Fantasy Theme Analysis of Assassin’s Creed

DOI: 10.5176/2301-3710_JMComm17.86

Authors: WU Mei, YU Yelin

Abstract: Assassin's Creed is an action-adventure game produced by a French game company, which has sold over 100 million copies and is widely praised. The study focuses on the two main characters’ (Connor and Haytham) facial expressions and the actions and scenes that related to their facial expressions, and introduces Symbolic Convergence Theory and Fantasy Theme Analysis to identify and analyze the fantasy themes and fantasy types of these facial expressions. The study tries to discover the hidden rhetorical visions and values in the game. The research has identified four facial expression symbols which include 21 fantasy themes associated with Connor and 14 fantasy themes associated with Haytham. The fantasy types of the game are “killing the father” and “Ḥashāshīn (the Assassin)” whose rhetorical vision is violence and extreme individualism.